MegaMari/Passwords

MegaMari features a password system that allows a player to adjust the progress in the game via powerups/stages setup as well as start the game with energy tanks.
Whenever you beat one of the 8 stages in the stage selection menu, the password for your current settings for powerups/stages and energy tanks is shown.
In the title screen, there is a password option available for the player to input a specific password to start the game with the desired settings.

The password system works on a check/uncheck basis. Pressing the jump button makes a slot checked and pressing the attack button makes a slot unchecked. For a password to work, you need to have the correct slots checked and unchecked.
The passwords are input in a 5 x 5 grid, with rows (A through E) and columns (1 through 5). For instance, 2DE means in column 2, slots D and E are added in (checked), the rest removed (unchecked).

If your password is correct, you will be taken to the stage selection menu with the appropriate settings in place.
If your password is incorrect (does not match any that the game recognizes), then the game will reset and you will be returned to the intro.

Each of the 8 bosses in stage selection menu is associated with a powerup item. When you defeat a boss, you can give the item to either Marisa or Alice by having the character touch the item when the boss is defeated. That character will get a weapon associated with the boss. The weapon will differ depending on whether Marisa or Alice gets it. Once you do this, the weapon is permanent for that game, and you cannot change it in that game by defeating the boss again. This applies until you reset the game.

The following modifications (of the default password) toggles the bosses and their respective stages and weapons. When you apply a change corresponding to a boss and input the password, the boss's stage is cleared and the boss's weapon is given to the character of your choice, depending on which modification it was.
You can do this for up to all 8 bosses (which unlocks Patchouli's level and gives each boss's weapon to a character you chose). Changes are indicated by + (check) and - (uncheck). Note that Marisa's weapon requires two changes (one slot added and one slot removed) while Alice's weapon requires one (either one slot added or one slot removed).

For example, the code 1AE 2E 3C 4BE 5BD is formed by applying Cirno's weapon for Alice (-2D) and Sakuya's weapon for Marisa (+4B, -4C). After input, the game will start with these weapons unlocked and these bosses beaten (their stages cleared).

Note: When you have at least four stages cleared, you also unlock Marisa's broom. When you have at least four weapons on Alice, you also unlock Alice's Shanghai doll.

Energy tanks are items that you can collect in certain levels and keep with you throughout the game. They will disappear if you get a game over. You can have up to four energy tanks. There are three types of tanks - Mushroom Tanks, Star Tanks, and Mega Tanks - that can restore health, weapon energy, or both.

Like weapons, energy tanks involve modifying the password, but the process is more complicated. The special note about energy tanks is that there is a general formula that depends on how many tanks you have total.

This formula is used to set the total number of energy tanks. It works on the basis of shifting the columns rather than of toggling individual slots.
For instance, shifting column 2 to column 3 means taking the setup of column 2 and making it the new setup of column 3; if column 2 has the setup 2DE, then shifting column 2 to column 3 results in 3DE.

For each tank you want to have, apply one iteration of this formula. All the steps should be done simultaneously.

Shift column 1 to column 2

Shift column 2 to column 3

Shift column 3 to column 4

Shift column 4 to column 5

Shift column 5 to column 1 and then shift the new column 1's slots in this way: B to C, C to D, D to E, E to B (A should be unchecked)

This is the compact version:

1>>2 (=), 2>>3 (=), 3>>4 (=), 4>>5 (=), 5>>1 (B>>C, C>>D, D>>E, E>>B)

For example, the code 1AC 2DE 3C 4C 5BD is a code with no tanks. The code 1D 2CE 3AC 4DE 5C is a code with the same weapons/stages setup, but with two tanks (two Mushroom Tanks, to be specific).

You should do each iteration of the formula separately. For instance, if you want two energy tanks, first shift each column once, and apply B>>C, C>>D, D>>E, E>>B for the new column 1. After you have finished these steps, repeat the formula again.

These blue tanks restore the energy for all of your weapons. The modification depends on how many tanks you want to set as Star Tanks.

1 Star Tank: +1B (becomes +2B (1), +3B (2), +4B (3), +5B (4))

2 Star Tanks: +3B (becomes +5B (2), +1C (3), +2C (4))

3 Star Tanks: +1B +3B (becomes +4B +1C (3), +5B +2C (4))

4 Star Tanks: +1B +2C +3B +4D (becomes +5B +2C +1D +3E (4))

The energy tank formula should be applied after these modifications, or the password system won't work as intended. The above shows what happens to the changes when you apply the formula, where (N) value indicates how many times you apply it (total number of energy tanks).

These turquoise-green tanks restore the energy for all of your weapons as well as the health of both characters.

1 Mega Tank: +2C (becomes +3C (1), +4C (2), +5C (3), +1D (4))

2 Mega Tanks: +4D (becomes +1E (2), +2E (3), +3E (4))

3 Mega Tanks: +2C +4D (becomes +5C +2E (3), +1D +3E (4))

4 Mega Tanks: +1B +3B +4D (becomes +3E +5B +2C (4))

The energy tank formula should be applied after these modifications. Also, Mega Tanks are only found in Patchouli's level. It's sort of cheating to get these using the password system since you cannot obtain them normally from the 8 stages in stage selection.

For example, suppose you want to start the game with no stages cleared, but with one Mushroom Tank and one Mega Tank.
Then you would take the default password 1AE 2DE 3C 4CE 5BD and apply +2C since you want one tank to be a Mega Tank, so you have 1AE 2CDE 3C 4CE 5BD.
But since you want two tanks total, you would then take the result and apply the formula twice.
Then 1AE 2CDE 3C 4CE 5BD becomes 1BD 2CE 3AE 4CDE 5C. The remaining tank is automatically set as a Mushroom Tank.

Your password will be invalid if the sum of numbers of Star Tanks and Mega Tanks exceeds total number of energy tanks. For instance, it makes no sense to have 2 Star Tanks and then apply the energy tank formula only once.

First apply the modifications for bosses (weapons and stages) and specific tanks (if you want Star Tanks or Mega Tanks).
Then apply the energy tank formula to specify how many tanks total.

If you input the code correctly, you should be taken to the stage selection menu with the stages beaten for bosses corresponding to the powerups you chose. Once you enter a level, you should check to see that you have the desired number of each type of energy tank and desired weapons on correct characters.

There is a "hard mode" password that allows you to enter Patchouli's level with no special weapons except Marisa's broom. This code will set all 8 stages as cleared, but you will only have default weapons of Marisa and Alice and the broom, and you cannot obtain the weapons by defeating the bosses.

For this password, simply check all the slots:

1ABCDE 2ABCDE 3ABCDE 4ABCDE 5ABCDE

This code starts the game with no energy tanks. You can still collect tanks, but the password will not recognize them. Beating a stage after collecting a tank will still show the same password.

Note that the password system does not recognize the number of lives. If you want to gain extra lives, you will need to enter stages and obtain them manually. The game starts with two extra lives.

If you get a game over, you can either continue that stage with two extra lives (default) or go back to stage selection menu. You will lose your tanks, but your weapons and stages cleared will be intact. The password that is shown at the game over screen reflects this.